Bioindividuality: finding what works for you

It’s confusing to know what’s right and wrong, good and bad sometimes in the world of health and
fitness.

What’s good for one may not be good for the whole bunch, after all.

This is the idea behind bioindividuality, a primary theme taught at the Institute for
Integrative Nutrition. Every person is a unique individual with unique needs, both in food and
exercise.

We all know that veggies are good, of course. But some people may have adverse reactions to some
vegetables. For example, I need to limit my intake of high-starch veggies like corn, squash and
sweet potatoes. I love them, and they’re definitely loaded with important vitamins, minerals and
antioxidants. But anything high on the glycemic index sits like a load on my body that I cannot
lose.

Same goes for grains and fruit. Though they're both full of fiber and complex carbohydrates that
your body needs for fuel and proper digestion, I've found I have to limit them (glycemic index
strikes again). I usually only eat them after workouts when my body can immediately absorb the
carbs into the bloodstream and use them for energy. Congrats if you never, ever have to think about
the glycemic index.

There are as many diet plans out there as there are people who want to follow them. You probably
know someone who swears by the Atkins Diet, but another got sick and gained back all the weight
they had lost. The Mediterranean diet may work for your mom, but not for your dad. The Primal
Blueprint may be the answer for your husband, but maybe not for your vegan sister.

When it comes to exercise, the same theory applies. Generally speaking, everyone should include
cardiovascular exercise and strength training in their workout routines. You know why. After
that, it gets more complicated.

It all depends on your goal, your hormones and genetics, and, honestly, what you enjoy
doing.

If you’re naturally thin and simply want to get daily exercise to be in overall good health, I
hate you. No, seriously, you’re probably fine doing whatever form of exercise you enjoy ... as long
as it includes strength work of some sort. Insert broken record about why strength training is
important here.

Say you’re a runner training for an upcoming race. You’ll likely have a regimen for that
particular distance, and you’ll want to add in some strength days. Read
this for reasons why runners should strength train.

If you’re already fit, keep doing what you’re doing because it’s obviously working. But say you
want to train for a fitness or figure competition on some level. That means you’ll have to follow a
training regimen, complete with diet plans, to help you “lean out” right before competition. I don’t
pretend to know what they are, I just know they exist. I also know they're meant for a short
period of time, so they are not sustainable.

If you’re a CrossFit wannabe, you should be working on strength for pull-ups, deep squats, rope
climbs, etc.

And if you’re trying to lose fat (or weight, as most put it; but, yeah, fat), you need to focus
more on strength training and less on cardio. Muscle burns more fat than, well, fat. If you want to
“tone”, you essentially want to be lean, which means less fat and more muscle. Read
this article on why too much cardio can actually sabotage your attempts at
becoming lean.

Obviously, the intensity at which you train for any of these goals is different for every
person. If you’ve never run a 5K, you’re going to start training for it differently than someone
who has run 20 of them. If you haven’t done a push-up since 7
th-grade gym class, you’ll probably want to start on a steep incline, gradually working
your way down as you get stronger.

So, note what your goal is and where you are in the pursuit of it, then train and eat
accordingly. Then, don't knock others for doing things differently.

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